The best of children’s folktales, fables, animal lore, folklore, myths, fairy tales and legends from around the world! Discover our collected tales for kids from India, China, Burma and many other countries… Some of these tales will make you think, some will make you laugh, some will make you wonder, but almost all of them have hidden wisdom for you to discover!
99 items in this section. Displaying page 5 of 10
The Fox and the Goat
Dabbu the fox was in a happy frame of mind. He had just made a hearty meal of the remains at King Lion’s den after the great king had gone out for a stroll. The meal had been fresh deer and it was smacking good. If only luck like this shone upon him every day, thought Dabbu. Thinking such thoughts, Dabbu looked up at the clear sky and began to sing as he walked. He had watched Hindi film heroes do that when they were happy....
The Court Jester and the Hilsa Fish
Maharaja Krishna Chandra was the king of Bengal during the middle ages. It was customary for kings in those days to patronise talented people. So every king had his own court poets, artists, singers, town planners, architects and what have you. And plenty of ministers to advise him on different matters. And every king had a court jester. The jester was a very important person for his ability to make people laugh and feel happy. Solving the problems of the kingdom and dealing carefully with rival kings meant a lot of tension....
The Priest, the Tiger and the Jackal
One day a priest was walking along a country road when he came upon a tiger, shut up in a strong iron cage. The villagers had caught him and shut him up there because he had started preying on their fowl and cattle. As soon as the tiger saw the priest, he pleaded, “Oh, Brother Brahmin, please let me out to get a little drink! I am so thirsty, and there is no water here.”...
The Farmer and the Serpent
A long time ago a farmer’s son was going to meet his friends. It was dark and he was in a hurry, so he didn’t see a cobra that was relaxing in the path. He trod upon the cobra’s tail. He stepped back immediately afterwards, but it was too late. The angry cobra lashed at him and bit him. A cobra’s poison is one of the deadliest in the world. The farmer’s son stood no chance against it and died....
The Boy and the Magic Brush
A folktale from Myanmar, it will acquaint readers with a new word called ‘Nat’. Nats are spirits, good or bad, and they are believed to have supernatural powers. The Buddhists believe that everybody goes through the cycle of life, death and rebirth – all determined by the person’s ‘karma’ or deeds. Being a Nat is just one of the cycle of lives. Nats need salvation as much as humans and so they help humans by being their guardian spirits....
The Wise Doves
Once upon a time, there lived many doves in the jungle. One day they went out in search of food. They flew long distances but did not get anything to eat. All of them were now completely exhausted. A young dove asked the King Dove, “Your majesty, please permit us to take some rest.” The king replied, “Have courage, my dear young fellow. We shall definitely get something to eat very soon.” The Wise Doves [Illustrations by Amarjeet Malik] The young dove started flapping his wings with force and soon left everyone behind....
The Jester and the Straw Roof
Maharaja Krishna Chandra was the king of Bengal during the middle ages. It was customary for kings in those days to patronise talented people. So every king had his own court poets, artists, singers, town planners, architects and what have you. And plenty of ministers to advise him on different matters. And every king had a court jester. The jester was a very important person for his ability to make people laugh and feel happy. The king had a lot of serious work to do, lots of difficult problems to solve and deal carefully with rival kings!...
The Story of Big Ears
Retold from “When the World was Young’, by pioneering anthropologist, Verrier Elwin. It is a fascinating collection of folktales from the tribal peoples of India. This happened a long, long time ago. Humans had big ears then. And they would flap in the wind. The Story of Big Ears [Illustrations by Nitin Vishwakarma] Their ears were so big that they found a use for them. Sometimes they would lie down upon one ear, using it as a mattress....
The Mouse who Lived in the Lion's Cave
The king of the jungle, the lion, lived in a big dark cave at the foot of the hill. He was a good king, and used to hunt only when he was hungry. Every night, he would go out to hunt and bring back one animal to his cave. After eating to his heart’s content, he would go to sleep. In his cave, a little mouse had made her house too. She would wait for the king to fall asleep, and then come out to eat, the leftovers....
How the First House was Built
A long time ago, humans were only as tall as hens and rabbits. These tiny “humans”, if you can call them that, lived under trees. Living in trees was not very nice. During rains they got wet. In summers they sweated madly, and in winter they almost froze into ice. Life was tough. How the First House was Built [Illustrations by Sudheer Nath] So they started living in burrows, just the way rabbits do....